Mixed starts for new SLKPA teams

 

Martin was Chairman from the league’s early days in 2006 until he stepped down in 2022 and he was influential in building the SLKPA from its unsteady infancy into the well-respected force it is today. 

 

He will be sadly missed not only by his SLKPA family but also his own family and the league’s thoughts are with them at this terribly tough time. 

 

Back to pool and the second week of the new South London & Kent Pool Alliance winter season and there have been mixed starts for the eight new teams to the winter season. 

 

Downham Tavern A Team, Sundridge Park Working Men’s Club and White Hart are the bottom three of Division Two after losing their opening two matches. 

 

Downham A Team couldn’t field a team this week, giving Plough & Harrow, another new team, their first victory. 

 

After losing 12-3 last week, Sundridge Park travelled to The Con Men and only lost, 9-6 so an improvement there, and they are only three points behind their opponents. 

 

White Hart travelled to Farmhouse, who had won, 12-3 last week, so it was going to be a tough ask, but Keith Allen got White Hart off to a great start, winning the opening frame however, Farmhouse won the next four frames to take the first set, 4-1. 

 

Steve Carpenter and John Denahy took the first two frames of the second set, making it six on the spin for Farmhouse. 

 

Charlie Liddiard prevented the set whitewash, before Nick Brown and Barrie Blake won the last two frames of the set to give Farmhouse an unassailable, 8-2 lead. 

 

Kieran Corbett pulled one back for White Hart, before Nick Brown won his third frame of the night to restore Farmhouse’ six frame lead. 

 

White Hart’s Jack O’Reilly pulled another back, but the Denahys, John and Lacey finished it off for Farmhouse to make the final score, 11-4. 

 

Nick Brown wasn’t the only hat-trick hero for Farmhouse, as John Denahy also won all three of his frames. 

 

This put Farmhouse top of the table, two points ahead of Eltham Terrace Tigers, who played host to fellow new team Hurricanes Reborn. 

 

Both teams had good wins last week, with Tigers beating White Hart, 10-5 and Hurricanes thrashing Plough & Harrow, 14-1 to pick up their first victory after a winless summer season, so this promised to be a good game. 

 

Hurricanes had issues getting to the game and this chaos continued onto the table, losing the first two frames. 

 

Arif Salih and Charles French battled well for Hurricanes to level the score however, Tigers took the deciding frame of the set to take a, 3-2 lead. 

 

The second and third sets were mirror images of each other, with Hurricanes wasting chances and missing blacks which Tigers punished to take both sets, 4-1 for an overall, 11-4 triumph. 

 

This has put Tigers in second, two points behind Farmhouse as well as two places and three points ahead of Hurricanes. 

 

The other new team for the winter season in this division is Goodfellows and they sit unbeaten in third after a narrow victory over Bexleyheath Raiders this week. 

 

The first set swung one way then the other, with Syed Shahed winning frame five to give Goodfellows the first set, 3-2. 

 

Simon Wood won frame six giving Goodfellows two frames in a row, for the first time in the match. 

 

John O’Neil and Tony Hodsdon won the next two giving Raiders two on the bounce to tie the match at four all. 

 

Gregg Thomas and Lewis Holdsworth took the last two frames of the second set to restore Goodfellows two frame advantage at, 6-4. 

 

Shelton D’Costa made it three in a row to put Goodfellows on the hill, needing just one frame for victory. 

 

However, Raiders had other ideas, with Ed Green, O’Neil and Rick Taylor recording three on the spin to tie the match at seven all, sending it into a final frame decider. 

 

Raiders’ Steve Redout faced Gregg Thomas from Goodfellows, and it was the latter who held his nerve to give his team the, 8-7 victory. 

 

Given how close this match was, there was only one unbeaten player, Raiders’ John O’Neil winning all three of his frames. 

 

I know it’s early days, but it looks like this division is going to be incredibly competitive, with several teams fighting right to the wire for promotion. 

 

The only new team left are Cue-Ologists, who after having a great first season in the summer, winning Tier Three, they find themselves in Division One. 

 

They lost their first game, 10-5 to one of the tips for the top Bellegrove Flyers and they followed that up with a narrow,8-7 loss to Bell Ya Later this week, which left them in equal eighth, on the same points as Blackheath Sports Club. 

 

Last week Blackheath played newly promoted Downham Tavern Terrors and narrowly lost, 8-7 but this week they had a tougher task against Duke of Northumberland, who had a good start to the season, beating Eltham Terrace Rack Pack, 9-6. 

 

Mark Hill and Dave Pearce gave Duke a great start before Joe Kane pulled one back for Blackheath. 

 

John Cochrane and Phil Tworek finished the set in winning ways for Duke giving them a, 4-1 lead after the first set. 

 

With a break and dish, Paul Clements joined Hill and Pearce to win the first three frames of the second set, giving Duke five frames on the bounce to put them on the hill at, 7-1. 

 

Alan Dolan and Kane won the last two frames of the set to prevent Duke from winning the match before the end of the second set. 

 

Pearce won frame eleven to give him his hat-trick and his team the victory. 

 

Kane won the next frame for his third frame win of the night to bring Blackheath back to, 8-4. 

 

The next two frames were shared before Hill became the third player to score a hat-trick, making the final score, 10-5. 

 

This result has put Duke on the same points as New Eltham New Boys in equal second place. 

 

New Boys were looking to build on their,10-5 victory over Bell Ya Later last week and they did just that, with a, 9-6 triumph over Academicals, which has sent them to the bottom of the table after they lost, 10-5 to Bears last week. 

 

Bears made it two, 10-5 wins in a row when they beat Downham Tavern Terrors to go top of the table, one point ahead of both New Boys and Duke. 

 

Also, unbeaten and in fourth place are Bellegrove Flyers, who hosted Rack Pack this week, after they lost their opening game to Duke.

 

The match kicked off in good spirits, but it was Rack Pack who ended the first set with the biggest smiles, after taking it, 3-2 and those smiles continued into the second set, as they won it by the same score. 

 

 Flyers were, 6-4 down going into the final set and Tony Frost won his third frame of the night to put Rack Pack on the hill and pile the pressure on Flyers. 

 

However, Flyers weren’t lying down and won the next three frames to level the match and take it to a final frame decider. 

 

It was down to the two Captains, Jay Arnold for Flyers, and Rack Pack’s Chris Parlett to battle it out for the victory, and it was Arnold who held his nerve to win the match for his team, 8-7 with his hat-trick frame.

 

Despite losing both their games, Rack Pack are on the same points as Bell Ya Later and Terrors, who both have one win and are only three places and five points behind this week’s opponents. 

 

This is going to be another very tight division, as only nine points separate all ten teams after just two matches. 

 

In the SLKPA Premier Division there are only three unbeaten sides, the top two, Sharks and Rugrats and sixth placed Hotshots, who kicked off their title defence this week against Bellegrove A. 

 

Bellegrove had a great start against the current league champions, with Paul Williams and Jack Taylor winning two of the first three frames. 

 

However, Ryan Francis and Danny Kelliher turned it around for Hotshots, giving them a, 3-2 first set lead. 

 

Hotshots then did the damage in the second set, whitewashing it for an, 8-2 lead to win the match before the start of the third set. 

 

Tony Gear won his third frame of the night on his debut for Hotshots to make it eight in a row for his team giving them a, 9-2 lead. 

 

After winning Bellegrove’s first two frames in the first set, Williams and Taylor went onto win their third and fourth in the third set. 

 

Francis and Kelliher recorded their hat-tricks to give Hotshots an, 11-4 triumph in their first match of the season. 

 

Having won their first match, 9-6 against Eltham Terrace Nuthouse, Bellegrove A are one place and two points above Hotshots. 

 

After losing their first match, Nuthouse were expected to struggle against the other Bellegrove side, simply named Bellegrove however, Nuthouse managed to turn it around and secure a, 10-5 triumph. 

 

As Bellegrove won their opening match, 11-4 against New Eltham New Stars they are on the same points as Nuthouse in equal third. 

 

New Stars hosted Rugrats this week, who were fresh from their opening day, 9-6 victory over Falconwood Club. 

 

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Rugrats have had a wonderful start to the season, following up last week’s victory with a narrow, 8-7 win over New Stars to go second in the table. 

 

Topping the table are Sharks, who followed up their impressive,11-4 win over Pickwick last week with an even bigger, 13-2 thrashing of Falconwood this week. 

 

As Pickwick didn’t have a game this week they are rooted to the bottom of the table, with just four points. 

 

With an odd number of teams in this division it will take a wile to even itself out however, even at this early-stage Sharks have a seven point lead at the top. 

 

For more information on the SLKPA including league tables visit our website at www.slkpa.com or contact our Secretary, Paul Gafa on 07443 456662 or secretary@slkpa.com with any queries.

 

The league is looking at potential sponsors; any interested parties can also contact Paul Gafa.